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Nu Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

Y L. S. ROBINSON. PEDAL APPARATUS PGR GUNTROLLING RECORDING AND REPRODUGING APPARATUS OP PHNOGRAPHS.

(No Model) v l Y 2 Sheets-Sheet 2. L. S. ROBINSON. PDDAL APPARATUS PDR. GDNTRDLLING RECORDING AND RBPRODUDING APPARATUS 0F PHONOGDADHS.

No. 562,664. PatentedJune 23, 1896.

@KMA/MW.

ANDREW E GRAHAM, PHmALrmUwAsMINmN t:

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

IIESIIE STEPHEN ROBINSON, OF LONDON, ENGLAND,

PEDAL APPARATUS FOR CONIRGLLING RECORDING AND REPRODUCING APPARATUS 0F PHONOGRAPHS.

l SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 562,664, dated June 23, 1896. Application filed November 4, 1895. Serial No. 567,895. (No modem Patented in England December 18, 1894, No. 24,588.

To @ZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LESLIE STEPHEN Ronn inscri, a subject of the Queen of England, re-

siding at London, England, have invented ceI'-,`

tain new and useful Improved Pedal Apparatus for Controlling the Recording and ReproducingApparatus of Fhonographs, (for which I have obtained Letters Patent in Great Britain, No. 25;,588, dated December 18, 1894,) of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improved pedal apparatus for controlling the recording and reproducing` apparatus of phonographs.

According to Iny invent-ion I combine with a pedal which when controlled by the foot or otherwise renders the phonograph or the like operative, an automatic device to render the instrument inoperative when such control ceases. Vith such apparatus the user of the instrument has his hands free, for handling documents, for instance, and, moreoven'on releasing the pedal he raises the needle clear of the record-cylinder, but leaves everything in readiness .for instant operation, which re- -coinmences immediately upon depression of the pedal, whereby the needle is restored to the acting position..

In the accompanying drawings, Figure lis a vertical section showing apparatus constructed according to my invention applied to an Edisondell phonograph of ausual and well-known type, the section being taken transversely to the cylinder thereof. Fig. 2 is a view at right angles to Fig. l. Fig. 3 is a view in perspective of a portion of the phonograph, showing the on and off levers; and Figs. i and 5 are views, drawn to a larger scale than that of Fig. l, to illustrate the action of the oit and on levers of the phonograph. Fig. 6 is a perspective view, also on a larger scale, of a detail of Fig. l.

Lilie letters indicate like parts throughout the drawings.

A is the recorder and reproducen'hin ged so as to be movable toward or away from the record-cylinder.

C is the o lever, and D an on lever. The off lever has a laterally/extended bail or working face C', upon which the recorder and producer A bears by means of a strut A. f he onlever D, which in effect is a springde tent, tends always to engage automatically with a pin C2 on the off lever C, so that normally whenV the outer end of the latter is fully depressed, as in Fig. 5, the on lever causes the oit lever to retain, through the bail C and strut A', the

recorder and reproducer A clear ofthe record, cylinder B. The on lever, as hereinafter eX- plained, is notnecessary for the purposes of v my invention, and is in'Fig. 5 shown as being prevented from engaging the oit lever.

With such apparatus I combine improvements as follows:

To the frame of the instrument I pvot at E alever F, coupled at one end to the ott' lever C by a wire or other connection C3, and at the other end to a pedal G by a rod G.

I-I is a guide-frame secured to the main frame of the apparatus to guide the rod G", which reciprocates vertically in slots therein.

I is a helical spring which enciroles the rod G and is in compression between the part I-I of the guide-franie H and a stop G2, which encircles and is iiXed on the rod. The stop G2 (see Fig. 6) is made in two parts GB G4, with an opening at G5 between them. Two screws G6 pass through the part G-3 and engage with the part G4. By tightening up these screws after the stop G2 has been placed on the rod G', the latter being received in the opening G5, the two part-s G3 G4' are drawn together to grip the rod firmly, so that the stop may not slip thereon. The springItends to keep the rod G and its connections in the position in which they are shown in dotted lines in Figs. 1 and 4P-*that is to say, in a position in which the recorder and reproducer A is retained clear of the cylinder B. By depressing the pedal G the action of the spring I is overcome and the off lever C rises while the bail C drops to allow the recorder and reproducer A to descend into contact with the cylinder B, as indicated in full lines in Fig. l.

In order that the recorder and reproducer may be free to descend when the outer end of the off lever is released, the on lever D must not be operative to hold the oi: lever. Therefore I retain the on lever in an inoperative position by a wire hook J, Figs. 3 and 5, attached to the instrument, or I remove it altogether.

Instead of the spring ILI may use fora siInilar purpose springs applied to other parts of the apparatus, or I may use a counterbalance IOO upon the recorder and reproducer, and connect the pedal apparatus directly thereto, or I may employ any other pedal-controlled de'- vices to cause the instrument to become inactive when the pedaly control ceases.

I may arrange the pedal to move laterally When depressed, into a noteh,like a harpan oit lever such as C and an on lever such as 4o pedal, for instance, or otherwise retain it in its lower position.

Apparatus constructed and operating according to my invention may be yapplied to the starting and stopping levers of phono-p graphs or the like, instead of being used to operate upon the recorder and reproducer; and although I have described by Way of example the application of my invention to an Edison-Bell phonograph I do not limit my in- 1 vention to that particular application. I claini-y l. In a phonograph, the combination with the recorder having the depending strut, of i the lever C having the,laterallyextending ybail atits inner end upon which the strut rests, the pivoted lever F connected at one' end toy said lever C, the movable rod G cooperating with the opposite end of said lever F, the spring for elevating said rod, and a pedal for depressing the rod against the ten-` sion of the spring; substantially as and fiorE the purpose set forth.

2. In a phonograph, the combination with the recorder having the depending strut, of 1 the lever for holding said recorder out of operation, the pivoted lever connected at one end tofsaid iirst-mentioned lever, the rod co 3 5 operating with the opposite end of said pivr oted lever, and means for operating said rod; substantially as described.

3. In a phonograph the ycombination with D of a spring-controlled or counterbalanced lever such as F a pedal G and means for retaining the on lever out of action substantially as and for the purpose described.

4. In a phonograph, the combination with 45 the opposite end of said pivoted 1cver,a guide- 5o frame secured to the framefof the apparatus,

in which the rod reciprocates, the stop at the lower end of :the frame and the adjustable stop carried by the rod, and the spring encir-y cling the rod, and confined between the two 55 stops; substantially as described.

In testimony whereof` I have hereto set my hand in the presence of the two subscribing Witnesses.

vLESLIE STEPHEN ROBINSON.y

Vitnesses:

HAROLD WADE, B. E. DUNBAR-KILBURN. 

